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A significant proportion of MSM acquire HIV from their primary relationship partners. Rectal microbicides are currently being studied to determine their efficacy for HIV prevention, yet willingness to use rectal microbicides among male couples is largely unknown. Dyadic data from 333 HIV-negative and HIV-discordant male couples, representing 631 HIV-negative men, were used to assess anal douching practices and willingness to use a rectal microbicide for HIV prevention. 17% of men douched 100% of the time before having anal sex within their primary partner. Among those who had sex outside of their relationship, 36% had douched 100% of the time before having anal sex with a casual MSM partner. Most men (63%) indicated a willingness to use a theoretically effective rectal microbicide prior to anal sex for HIV prevention. If found effective, rectal microbicides delivered as an anal douche may be an acceptable format for HIV prevention to some MSM who already engage in anal douching. Understanding current douching practices will be important in successfully promoting the uptake of rectal microbicides.

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Sexual agreements, explicit mutual understandings made between two partners about which sexual and related behaviors they agree to engage in within and/or outside of their relationship, are common among male couples. However, little is known about the perceived rewards and challenges partnered men face in the process of forming a sexual agreement. Such knowledge may be useful for development of future HIV preventive and sexual health programs that encourage male couples to establish a sexual agreement in their relationship. By using qualitative dyadic data from a sample of 29 self-reported concordant HIV-negative male couples who had a sexual agreement, the present qualitative study sought to: assess partnered men’s perceived rewards and challenges of forming a sexual agreement in their relationship; and examine whether both men in the couple concurred about their perceived rewards and challenges of forming a sexual agreement. Themes for perceived rewards were: 1) being honest, 2) improving communication, 3) increasing understanding about expectations and permitted behaviors, 4) enhancing intimacy and relational bond, and 5) building trust. Themes for perceived challenges were: 1) stigma about having an open agreement; 2) awkwardness about the topic and talking about it; 3) jealousy; 4) no perceived challenges. Few couples had both partners concur about their perceived rewards or challenges toward establishing a sexual agreement. The variety of perceived rewards and challenges highlight the need for tailoring given that a variety of factors may influence partnered men’s establishment of a sexual agreement in their relationship.

Few studies have examined neuroimmune pathways that could contribute to impulsivity in people living with HIV who use substances. Eighty-four methamphetamine-using, sexual minority men with an undetectable HIV viral load were administered the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a behavioral measure of risk-taking propensity. We examined the associations between kynurenine/tryptophan ratio and phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio with BART scores using multiple linear regression. A higher kynurenine/tryptophan ratio was independently associated with greater BART scores (Beta = 0.25; 95% CI = 0.05 -1.23; p = 0.034). The phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio was not significantly associated with BART scores. Findings support the need for further research to elucidate the neuroimmune mechanisms linking tryptophan degradation with impulsivity to catalyze the development novel pharmacologic treatments for people living with HIV who use methamphetamine.Terms of use and reuse: academic research for non-commercial purposes, see here for full terms. http://www.springer.com/gb/openaccess/authors-rights/aam-terms-v1

There is increasing interest in the role of mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions to optimize recovery from a substance use disorder (SUD). However, relatively little is known about the theory-based psychological and social pathways whereby mindfulness could have beneficial effects for managing a chronic, relapsing SUD. Informed by Revised Stress and Coping Theory, the present cross-sectional study examined affective, cognitive, and social pathways whereby mindfulness is associated with lower methamphetamine craving. A total of 161 HIV-positive, methamphetamine-using sexual minority men completed a screening visit for a randomized controlled trial. Using a hybrid structural equation model, we examined pathways whereby mindfulness is associated with lower methamphetamine craving. We found that greater mindfulness was directly associated with lower negative affect and higher positive affect as well as indirectly associated with less methamphetamine craving. Interestingly, the indirect association between mindfulness and methamphetamine craving appeared to be uniquely attributable to positive affect. Only positive affect was indirectly associated with lower methamphetamine craving via higher positive re-appraisal coping and greater self-efficacy for managing triggers for methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine craving was supported by moderate associations with greater substance use severity and more frequent methamphetamine use. These findings support the role of mindfulness in cultivating positive affect, which could be crucial to build the capacity of individuals to manage methamphetamine craving as a chronic stressor that threatens recovery from SUD.

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